Far Afield: Managing Distance Internships

Carol Schneweis, Distance Coordinator

Bruce Reeves, Field Director

University of North Dakota

Department of Social Work

Introduction:

• Objectives:

• Identify resources necessary to implement a distance field program

• Clarify a process for selecting field settings

• Develop a model for distance orientation and ongoing field instructor training

• Identify key components of Distance field “Gatekeeping” and evaluation

UND Program

Distance Education for past 27 years – began using Adobe Connect to offer synchronous program to Foundation students in January 2006. 2009 began annual admissions.

120-130 Students in multiple cohorts

• Part-time program

• Foundation – 9 or 10 semesters – begins every January

• Concentration 5 or 6 semesters – begins every May

• Between 75 & 85 Field students every fall

• Field is Capstone for each program

Field at UND:

• Philosophy: replicates campus program

• CSWE standards

• Hands-on approach to placements

• Faculty field liaison visits distance students at least once during the internship

• Majority of students complete field part-time across 2 semesters

• Foundation MSW part time required

• MSW Concentration full time option

• Orient students to Field using Adobe® Connect™ Professional in a live class setting

• Campus visit

Field Readiness• Assessing/Gatekeeping & Evaluation of students

• Assessment:

• Come to campus, meet face-to-face

• Survey teaching faculty re: perception of field readiness

• Field application completed and signed off by advisor –

•Assures meet all requirements and are ready to go

• Pre-field interviews with students

Field Readiness

• Do not allow students into field at times:

• No campus visit

• Reassign field instructors

• GPA not high enough

• Not shown readiness for field

Student Placement Process

• Interview – explore interests, emphasize goodness of fit

• Via phone

• Discuss foundation and concentration placement

• Ask students to partner in development of placement

• Explore opportunities in communities

• Can interview- without making commitment

• Provide us with information

• Contact is made to determine appropriateness of placement

• Contracting with new agency/new field instructor

Student Placement Process• Contact is made to determine

appropriateness of placement and to secure MSW field instructor

• No MSW– must consider/assess skill level of task supervisor and appropriateness of external supervisor

• Contracting with new agency/new field instructor

Seminar

• Integrative Seminars : Synchronous

• Class is taught live via Adobe® Connect™

• Wikis & blogs augment

Liaison

Journals

Learning and Evaluation Plan

Due: Part time: 10 Weeks Full Time: 3 weeks

Site visit required

Contact schedule: One must be in person

Week prior to Learning Plan due date

Midterm

4-6 weeks prior to end of internship

Monitoring

• Liaison monitoring journals

• Seminar provides leader awareness of how a student is doing

Problem?

• Liaison – first contact

• Navigate concern, may travel to site

• Gatekeeping

• Use same model as campus

• When issues arise, tend to spend a lot more time on phone with students and field instructors or on the road visiting again

• Elevate to Director if issues unresolved, may elevate to full team

Field Instructors

• Training/orienting new field instructors

• Initially one-on-one via phone call

• Provide Field Manual and Forms

• Three online training videos

• Program overview

• Field Instructor role and expectations

• Learning Plan and Evaluation Tool

• Stream Annual Field Instructor training to distance instructors

• Lunch in the Field

LUNCH in the FIELD 

Join faculty from the Department of Social Work for free monthly Field Instructor

Training and CEU’s.

Topics:Making Sense of the Learning Plan and Evaluation ToolSocial Work Curriculum and Field – Putting the Pieces TogetherExpanding Teaching Tools for SupervisionDevelopmental Stages of the InternshipEvaluation and Remediation Plans

LUNCH in the FIELD 

Recorded available online via QualtricsAttendanceEvaluationResponse – Alternate training

Working with Combat VeteransAgency Response to SuicidePlay TherapyProgram EvaluationGenerational Differences in the Workplace

Challenges & Solutions

Challenges & Solutions

• New contracts

• Legal components of contracting – waiting for legal to review & approve

• Working w/legal counsel to be part of campus-wide contracting

• (includes medical, healthcare and behavioral sciences)

• Rural areas with limited MSW

• Contract for external supervision

Challenges & Solutions

• Budget/Costs

• Sending faculty to visit each student at least once

• Charge additional fees for distance students to help cover these costs

• Even with this, UND’s in-state tuition is lower than most private university/colleges – a luxury

Questions?

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